


Going Down

by ThirtySixSaveFiles



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: AU, Abuse of italics, Fluff, M/M, unreasonable elevator times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-13
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-05-01 10:23:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5202320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirtySixSaveFiles/pseuds/ThirtySixSaveFiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If he had thought about it, Rhys would have supposed that it was bound to happen sooner or later. Handsome Jack had to get around Helios somehow, and R&D hadn’t quite perfected the short-range teleporters yet. (Helios to Pandora? No problem. Floor D to Floor F? Hope you don’t need your organs on the inside!) He probably had to use the same elevators as everyone else.</p><p>Even if he had thought about it, though, it would not have in any way prepared Rhys to come face to face with the man himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Down

**Author's Note:**

> Long ~long~ overdue prompt fill for Ledgem, who gave me "Rhack, something happy involving 'space,'" which I liberally interpreted to mean "personal space." As in, Jack has no concept of it when it suits him not to. I hope it pleases.

When the elevator pings and the doors slide open, three thoughts flash through Rhys’ mind in quick succession.

The first is, _Oh god ohgodohgod_.

The second is, _Be cool, Rhys. You are calm and collected and totally a professional_.

The third is, _I’ve had sex dreams that start this way_.

Before he can think anything else, Handsome Jack looks up from where he’s leaning against the back wall of the elevator and says, “Are you getting in or not, buddy? I don’t have all fucking day.”

Rhys jerks out of his paralysis and steps into the car. As he does, _Handsome Jack_ leans past him and presses the “Priority Override” button on the panel by the door. The button glows green for a second, reading Jack’s thumbprint, then beeps a confirmation as the doors slide shut behind Rhys.

“Guess I forgot that on the way down,” Jack says, leaning back. He grins toothily. “Hope you don’t mind the ride, sweetheart, I’ve got things to do, places to be, subordinates to space, you know how it is.”

Rhys glances at the door panel. He had been heading one floor down...now he appears to be going thirty. But that hardly matters because he is _face to face_ with _Handsome freaking Jack_ , and his heart is racing, but he can totally handle this, he is completely fine. Rhys shifts the ECHO-tablet in his hands, trying to look responsible and confident and like a promising employee, rather than someone who has a collection of mint-condition Hero of Pandora(™) trading cards under his bed.

Handsome Jack isn’t helping, though. Handsome Jack is standing there, being - being _handsome_ , thumbs hooked through his belt loops and shoulders wide and relaxed. He gives Rhys a thorough once-over and Rhys can’t help it, he flushes. This seems to amuse Jack, who shifts forward on his toes, leaning in.

“You see something you like, pumpkin? ‘Cause I know I do.” There’s no other word for what Jack does next - he _leers_ at Rhys, grin wide and eyebrows waggling.

“I, uh...hahahaha, I’m Rhys, hi.” Rhys almost winces when he hears what comes tumbling out of his mouth, but Jack just looks amused, apparently used to people losing control of their words in his presence.

“Not what I asked, but I’ll take it.” He glides forward, getting right up in Rhys’ personal space and Rhys almost stops breathing. “And do you come here often, _Rhys_?”

If Rhys had been asked that morning how he thought his day was going to go, ‘getting hit on by Handsome Jack in an elevator with cheesy one-liners’ would not have been a top contender, but Rhys is beyond questioning what’s going on here, not with Jack’s eyes hot on him and, holy shit, Jack’s arm coming up to cage Rhys in on one side.

“I - I work here?” Rhys is going to _throw himself out of an airlock_ later because his brain is apparently disengaged from his mouth.

Jack huffs. “No kidding, really? And here I thought you were a bandit, cleverly infiltrating the station with your - “ he blatantly eyes Rhys up and down “- okay, those are definitely questionable fashion choices, and if you _are_ infiltrating the station this is about to get real awkward real fast, because I’m about one minute away from pushing you up against this wall and seeing if that mouth tastes as good as it looks. How does that sound, sugar?”

Rhys is pretty sure his brain whites out for a second. Jack doesn’t move, just raises his eyebrows, and Rhys realizes that Jack is waiting for Rhys to say something, so he throws caution to the wind and his ECHO-tablet to the floor and seizes Jack by the lapels, crashing their mouths together.

It’s good. It’s _great_ , and while Rhys may have initiated the kiss, Jack quickly takes control with one hand on Rhys’ jaw and the other on his hip. Jack’s mouth is a _dirty_ slide on his, teeth catching on Rhys’ bottom lip. Rhys hums and sways into Jack, chasing that hint of sharpness, and Jack chuckles into his mouth.

A sudden _ping_ interrupts them, and the traitorous elevator comes to a halt. Jack squeezes Rhys’ hip and moves back.

“That’s my cue. Duty calls and all that. Thanks for making a boring trip to R&D more -” did Jack practice that leer or did it come naturally? “- _interesting_ , cupcake. I’ll see you around.”

The elevator doors slide open, and just like that, Handsome Jack is gone.

As the elevator shifts back into motion, taking Rhys back to the Propaganda department. He slowly scoops his ECHO-tablet off the floor, fighting through the fuzz in his brain and the pounding in his chest, not entirely sure that what just happened wasn’t a bizarre dream, or hallucination, or -

Rhys’ ECHO-eye flashes a notification at him - private message, not his company address - and he opens up his right palm to read it. It’s an elevator override code for a floor way above his clearance, and a message:

 _20:00 tonight, if you want to pick up where we left off. I know I do._ \- HJ

Not a hallucination, then. As the elevator finally deposits him on the proper floor, Rhys vows to himself that he is never taking the stairs again.

**Author's Note:**

> Why does Rhys have an ECHO-tablet when he has the arm and the eye? Solely so he has something to drop. Seriously that's it.
> 
> You can find me at [thirtysixsavefiles.tumblr.com](http://thirtysixsavefiles.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
